Many individuals suffer from foot problems such as chronic foot pain, which adversely affects their daily lives by decreasing or impairing mobility. There are many different factors that may give rise to foot pain, such as disease, anatomical abnormalities, genetic disorders, and injuries. Aching or sensitive feet are common symptoms experienced by people suffering from one of these conditions, and an individual may feel discomfort while standing or walking. In an example, diabetes is a medical condition that causes a variety of foot problems. Many diabetics develop complications such as neuropathy, poor blood circulation, and ulcers. Ulcers are common on the ball of the foot due to the large amount of pressure that is exerted in this region on a daily basis. These complications are compounded in instances where the person wears high heel shoes. During the person's gait, the high heel elevates the person's heel, which consolidates the pressure of the gait on the metatarsal heads or ball of the foot, exacerbating the neurovascular and other complications. If the complications are not treated properly, they will often lead to permanent damage in the foot and may, in extreme cases, result in otherwise preventable amputations. Typically, to counteract those effects, people with diabetes wear specialized shoes or custom inserts such as orthotics to manage their symptoms and prevent further complications stemming from the disease.
Foot pain is often treated through special orthopedic shoes that have been modified to reduce the severity of the foot pain by evening out the pressure across the foot or removing pressure from specific parts of the foot. For example, orthopedic shoes generally include soft inserts that conform to the anatomical shape of the foot. Some insoles conform to the natural shape of a foot and also have a concave depression at the ball of the foot. While the design of soft inserts and insoles has steadily advanced in recent years, the design of shoe soles has not changed greatly. In particular, orthopedic shoes are bulky, heavy, and typically not considered to be as stylish as normal shoes, sometimes resulting in reluctance to wear the shoes.